Nicholas Fox

Twice Through Enemy Fire to Save the Wounded

Nicholas Fox was an Irish-born American soldier whose extraordinary courage during the American Civil War earned him the United States Medal of Honor. Serving as a private in Company H of the 28th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, he risked his life on June 14, 1863, during the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana, by crossing exposed ground twice under concentrated Confederate fire to obtain water for sick and wounded soldiers. His remarkable act of bravery was formally recognized on April 1, 1898, nearly thirty-five years after the battle.

Fox was born in 1844 in Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland. He was baptized at the local Roman Catholic church on November 5, 1844, although his exact birth date remains uncertain. In 1855, his family emigrated to the United States aboard the ship Rappahannock, arriving in New York City on May 23. By 1860, the family had settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, where Fox spent part of his youth before entering military service.

On August 28, 1862, Fox enlisted in the Union Army at Greenwich, Connecticut. He joined Company H of the 28th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, a nine-month regiment organized during the Civil War. He was seventeen years old at the time of his enlistment. The regiment was subsequently sent south, where it became involved in military operations against Confederate positions along the Mississippi River.

In 1863, the 28th Connecticut Infantry participated in the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana. The Confederate stronghold occupied an important position overlooking the Mississippi River and was defended by fortifications, artillery, and infantry. Union forces under Major General Nathaniel P. Banks sought to capture the position as part of the campaign to regain control of the river.

The regiment arrived during the siege and initially assisted with the aftermath of the unsuccessful Union assault on May 27, 1863. During the following weeks, its soldiers occupied positions near the Confederate defenses, enduring the difficult conditions of siege warfare. The regiment's most significant fighting occurred during the renewed Union assault on June 14.

Following a prolonged artillery bombardment, Union troops advanced against the Confederate fortifications. The 28th Connecticut encountered difficult terrain, including ravines and fallen timber, while advancing toward the enemy's defensive works. Confederate musket fire stopped the assault, forcing many soldiers to seek whatever protection the ground provided.

Brigadier General Halbert E. Paine, whose division included the regiment, was severely wounded while attempting to encourage the advance. Other Union soldiers were also left wounded in exposed positions. Under the intense Louisiana sun, the men suffered from thirst as well as their injuries, while Confederate fire made attempts to reach them extremely dangerous.

It was under these circumstances that Private Nicholas Fox performed the action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Seeing the suffering of wounded comrades, he approached his company commander, Captain George Middleton, and volunteered to obtain water. Middleton warned him of the danger, explaining that others had already been exposed to enemy fire while attempting to cross the ground.

Despite the danger, Fox prepared for the journey. He removed unnecessary equipment and collected several canteens, arranging them around his body before leaving the relative protection of the Union position. He then crossed the exposed ground toward the rear, seeking a source of water.

During the journey, Fox encountered the regiment's chaplain, Richard Wheatley, and informed him of General Paine's condition. After reaching a spring and filling the canteens, he began his return to the men trapped near the Confederate defenses.

The return journey was equally dangerous. Confederate soldiers continued firing across the exposed area, but Fox managed to carry the water back to his regiment. Rather than treating the successful journey as the end of his effort, he repeated the mission, making a second trip through enemy fire to obtain additional water for the suffering soldiers.

His actions were later described in testimony from men who had witnessed or learned directly of the event. Captain Middleton emphasized Fox's efforts on behalf of the sick and wounded, while Chaplain Wheatley recalled his assistance to the men and the wounded General Paine. These accounts became important evidence in the later effort to secure official recognition for his bravery.

The June 14 assault failed to capture the Confederate defenses, and the 28th Connecticut suffered eight men killed and forty-five wounded. The Siege of Port Hudson continued until July 9, 1863, when the Confederate garrison surrendered following the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

After completing its service in Louisiana, the 28th Connecticut Infantry returned north. Fox was mustered out with the regiment on August 28, 1863, and resumed civilian life in Greenwich.

His military career did not end there. On April 2, 1865, Fox enlisted again, this time joining the 22nd New York Cavalry. He served during the closing months of the Civil War before the regiment was mustered out in August 1865. His surviving military records establish his service in both the 28th Connecticut Infantry and the 22nd New York Cavalry, although his Medal of Honor recognition remained connected specifically to his earlier service at Port Hudson.

Following the war, Fox settled in Port Chester, New York. He married Catherine Simcox, and together they raised a large family. He worked for the Russell, Burdsall & Ward Bolt Works, where he remained employed for many years and eventually became a superintendent. He also took an active role in community affairs, serving as a volunteer firefighter and becoming commander of the local Charles Lawrence Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans.

For decades, Fox's bravery at Port Hudson remained without the formal national recognition it deserved. In 1898, Representative Ebenezer J. Hill of Connecticut assisted in bringing his case before the War Department. Statements from former comrades, including officers who remembered his actions, supported the application for the Medal of Honor.

On April 1, 1898, Nicholas Fox received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary conduct at Port Hudson on June 14, 1863. The decoration recognized his two journeys across exposed ground under enemy fire to secure water for sick and wounded soldiers. The award came almost thirty-five years after the event and honored an act of courage performed while he was still a young private.

Fox continued to participate in veterans' activities during his later years. He appeared at public commemorations and parades, where his Medal of Honor served as a visible reminder of his Civil War service. He remained a respected member of the Port Chester community, where he had spent much of his adult life.

Nicholas Fox died on October 2, 1929, in Port Chester, New York, at the age of eighty-four. His funeral included an honor guard representing veterans of the Civil War, Spanish–American War, and First World War. He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Rye Brook, New York.

The military legacy of Nicholas Fox rests upon an act of courage devoted to saving others rather than defeating an enemy. At Port Hudson, he crossed dangerous ground twice to bring water to wounded soldiers who could not safely leave their positions. His Medal of Honor preserves the memory of that remarkable service and his place among the decorated soldiers of the American Civil War.